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Peanuts in sugar are a natural delicacy that successfully replaces other types of snacks and does not require much investment in both time and money. It can be easily and quickly prepared at home.
Which peanuts are best to choose for cooking?
The freshness of the product significantly affects its taste, so when choosing peanuts you need to pay attention to its appearance, storage method and its duration. Stale or spoiled beans do not last long, and on top of that they can be harmful to health.
There are several aspects worth paying attention to.
- Externally, peanut beans must be clean and without damage: dark spots, chips. It is advisable to take peanuts by weight so that you can evaluate the appearance of the product. It is better to buy nuts without shells, but with skins.
- The kernels should be dry and not smell damp or leave a wet feeling on your hands. Such a product may be spoiled by mold and will not be stored for long.
- The aroma of fresh peanuts is bright, tart and pronounced. If there are notes of dampness or acid, the nut is old and may have been damaged by mold.
- Peanuts with small kernels - Indian - have a pronounced taste, while varieties with large kernels are almost tasteless with a faint odor.
The best peanuts are always sold in markets or specialty stores. Supermarkets offer peanuts in opaque packaging with various additives; they are cleaned and pre-processed; in such conditions it is impossible to determine the freshness of peanuts, assess their color and smell. This increases the risk of buying a low-quality product with poor taste.
How to make sugared peanuts at home
A delicacy such as sugared peanuts can be purchased ready-made in the store, but it is much healthier to prepare it at home. To make this you only need three ingredients: peanuts, sugar and water. In relatively little time, you can be confident in the benefits and quality of the finished product. Sweet beans can be prepared in two ways: glazed and burnt sugar.
Peanuts in sugar glaze
To prepare the dessert you will need:
- peanuts – 200 g;
- water – 1/3 cup;
- sugar – 0.5 cups.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.
- Unshelled peanuts must be fried in a frying pan for 3-5 minutes over low heat. The beans should warm up and begin to emit a pleasant tart aroma.
- The next step is to pour water into a glass with sugar, stir a little to get a sweet slurry. It must be poured into the pan with peanuts, stirring continuously.
- Stirring should be constant so that each bean is evenly coated with glaze. It is important not to miss the moment when the mass begins to thicken, you need to pay attention and get ready to turn off the heat. When there is practically no moisture left, the peanuts are ready.
- Transfer the dessert from the frying pan to a separate plate, let it cool and dry. This is what it looks like when finished.
This snack goes well with tea, coffee or as a dessert on its own. People with peanut allergies or diabetes should use it with caution.
Peanuts in burnt sugar
The recipe for peanuts in burnt sugar is practically no different from the previous one. This method gives the dessert a soft caramel flavor, the intensity of which can be adjusted by cooking time. For it you will need:
- peanuts – 2 cups;
- sugar – 200 g;
- water – 100 g.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.
Cooking process:
- Peanuts, without peeling, must be fried over low heat. It should warm up and begin to emit a strong smell. This stage will take 4-5 minutes. You don't need to add oil, you just need to heat the beans.
- In a separate container you need to mix sugar and water. It is desirable that the crystals begin to gradually dissolve. This mixture should be poured into a clean, hot frying pan and heated for 5 minutes. The sugar should turn light brown.
- As soon as the sugar acquires the desired shade, you can immediately pour peanuts into it, stirring constantly. It is important to monitor the consistency of the caramel, and when all the beans are covered with sugar crystals, you can turn off the heat. You need to immediately transfer the beans to another container so that they cool and the caramel sets.
- The nuts will be soft brown and once cooled they can be served with tea.
You can choose the color and taste of caramel yourself: fry it more or less.It is important not to burn the sugar, otherwise it will acquire an unpleasant bitter taste.
Calorie content of peanuts in sugar
Sugar itself is a high-calorie product, and when mixed with peanuts, the calorie content increases. 100 g of delicacy contains 490 kcal. This amount is approximately equal to a glass of nuts. Carbohydrates in such a serving are 43 g, which is about 30% of the daily requirement. There is also a lot of fat here - 37.8 g, which is equivalent to 50% of the daily intake.
People on a diet should not consume this sweetness or limit its consumption to a small handful per day. The product has a high glycemic index, and these are fast carbohydrates that are easily digested and go into fat deposits without having time to be used up. Children and people with diabetes should also not overuse the treat.
Terms and conditions of storage
Caramel tends to melt, so it is better not to store peanuts in direct sunlight or in a hot room. Low humidity will provide the beans with protection from mold. The best place to store the product is the refrigerator. It can stay there for up to several months.
Other cooking options
The taste of the sweet can be varied and made into a full-fledged dessert. There are several additives with which many recipes have been invented.
- Honey. A little honey can be added to the water when making caramel or directly to the pan. This will give the nuts a special flavor. Honey cannot be cooked for a long time, so it is better to add it at the end.
- Lemon acid. You can also make sour caramels at the stage of roasting sugar: add it to a mixture of sugar and water, mix thoroughly.Half a teaspoon is enough, otherwise the acid will kill the whole taste.
- Fruit juices. They can be added instead of water or diluted slightly so that the taste does not turn out to be cloying. It is better to choose apple or cherry juice without pulp. Make the proportion with water 1/1 (a quarter glass of water and the same amount of juice).
The imagination in these recipes is unlimited by the listed additives, it all depends on personal preferences.
Conclusion
Sugared peanuts are an excellent substitute for store-bought desserts. By giving preference to homemade sweets, you can maintain your health, be confident in their composition and change the recipe to your taste. A homemade delicacy does not require a lot of effort, money or large expenditures of food.
